1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to cleaning machines and devices, and more particularly to an improved device suited for cleaning the outside surfaces of hoses, pipes, tools and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Invention and use of cleaning devices for elongated articles is well known. For example, Euga, U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,935 teaches such a device having multiple compartments and using resilient pads such as sponges for rubbing against the sides of an article pulled through the device. It is clear that the drawback of such a device is that the sponges must be positioned and apertured in a custom fashion for each differently shaped article. Also, not having a freely flowing cleaning fluid, the device tends to become dirty first, at the point of contact with the article to be cleaned, and no mechanism is present to flush such dirt away. Brow, U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,777 teaches a paint roller cleaning device providing an annular water flushing means through which the roller is pushed and pulled. This has the advantage of flushing away the unwanted debris, in this case paint, to renew the devices' surface as the roller precedes through. Goldman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,683 teaches a rotating brush within a housing for cleaning items having a generally round surface. The surface must have a spiral pattern in order to drive the brush. Schenke et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,950 teaches another round surface cleaning device. Finally, Bokat, U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,861 teaches a hose cleaning device providing brushes with bristles arranged in an annular fashion to wipe the surface of a hose as it passes through, and provides a continuous water flush as well. Clearly, the above devices, except for Euga, are for cleaning articles with a round cross-section such as a hose, a tube, a rod or a rope. It is clear also that only Bokat has combined the bristle brush with freely flowing cleaning liquid in a pressurized cabinet. However, the above devices cannot be used to clean objects having extensive shapes or objects which may be laid out over a finite surface area or are flat by nature such as metal, plastic and glass foils, sheets, and plates.
The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.